The Spirit of ’76—or 1815, to Be Exact

Next week, the staff of the will join many other community organizations in taking part in Moorestown’s Fourth of July Parade. This year’s theme, 1776, has inspired us to look back at the history of America’s libraries as a cornerstone for intellectual freedom, free speech, and an educated citizenry.

In that spirit, our float will depict Thomas Jefferson’s historic donation to the Library of Congress, complete with Library Director Joe Galbraith in full Jeffersonian attire!

The original Library of Congress was established in 1800 and housed in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. That collection had a very short life, though. When British troops set fire to the Capitol in 1814, the library was destroyed.

Former President Thomas Jefferson immediately offered his personal library to replace the destroyed collection. Jefferson was a true bibliophile who had spent 50 years amassing an extraordinary collection of books on American history and government and a huge variety of subjects. Since Jefferson believed that there was “no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer," he offered his library in its entirety, all 6,487 books. When Congress accepted the collection 1815, the Library of Congress was reborn.

Today, the Library of Congress includes more than 144 million items and continues to grow in Jefferson’s spirit, collecting on a vast range of subjects. All over the country, public libraries emulate that same spirit, striving to make information on all topics, from all viewpoints, and in all formats available to all people.

We hope that our little glimpse of library history will inspire you to take a fresh look at your Moorestown Library and all that we can do for you.

Happy Fourth!